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Police!!!
Police!!!

Chapter III · Chapter 3

Chapter 3 of Police!!! is here in full — 450 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Police!!!
Context Illustration Reading 1/90 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
"Yes, sir, right there.
It was this way; I was lyin' down, tryin' to figure the shortes' way to Fort Coquina, an' wishin' I was nearer Broadway than I was to the Equator, when I heard a voice say, 'Blub-blub, muck-a-muck!' an' then I seen two cave-ladies come sof'ly stealin' along."
"W-where?"
"Right there where you are a-sittin'.
Say, they was lookers!
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Police!!!

Chapter III · Chapter 3

Chapter 3 of Police!!! is here in full — 450 sentences across 90 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/90 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
"Yes, sir, right there.
/jes sɜːr raɪt ðer/
Line 2
It was this way; I was lyin' down, tryin' to figure the shortes' way to Fort Coquina, an' wishin' I was nearer Broadway than I was to the Equator, when I heard a voice say, 'Blub-blub, muck-a-muck!' an' then I seen two cave-ladies come sof'ly stealin' along."
Line 3
"W-where?"
Line 4
"Right there where you are a-sittin'.
Line 5
Say, they was lookers!
/seɪ ðeɪ wɑːz ˈlʊkərz/

Learner Dictionary

These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.

along preposition US /əˈlɔːŋ/

following the length of something from one end toward the other

From this reading “It was this way; I was lyin' down, tryin' to figure the shortes' way to Fort Coquina, an' wishin' I was nearer Broadway than I was to the Equator, when I heard a voice say, 'Blub-blub, muck-a-muck!' an' then I seen two cave-ladies come sof'ly stealin' along."”

Broadway noun US /ˈbrɔːdweɪ/

a street in Manhattan that passes through Times Square; famous for its theaters

From this reading “It was this way; I was lyin' down, tryin' to figure the shortes' way to Fort Coquina, an' wishin' I was nearer Broadway than I was to the Equator, when I heard a voice say, 'Blub-blub, muck-a-muck!' an' then I seen two cave-ladies come sof'ly stealin' along."”

Equator noun US /ɪˈkweɪtər/

an imaginary line around the Earth forming the great circle that is equidistant from the north and south poles

From this reading “It was this way; I was lyin' down, tryin' to figure the shortes' way to Fort Coquina, an' wishin' I was nearer Broadway than I was to the Equator, when I heard a voice say, 'Blub-blub, muck-a-muck!' an' then I seen two cave-ladies come sof'ly stealin' along."”

figure noun US /ˈfɪɡjər/

a diagram or picture illustrating textual material

From this reading “It was this way; I was lyin' down, tryin' to figure the shortes' way to Fort Coquina, an' wishin' I was nearer Broadway than I was to the Equator, when I heard a voice say, 'Blub-blub, muck-a-muck!' an' then I seen two cave-ladies come sof'ly stealin' along."”

Fort noun US /fɔːrt/

a fortified military post where troops are stationed

From this reading “It was this way; I was lyin' down, tryin' to figure the shortes' way to Fort Coquina, an' wishin' I was nearer Broadway than I was to the Equator, when I heard a voice say, 'Blub-blub, muck-a-muck!' an' then I seen two cave-ladies come sof'ly stealin' along."”

lookers noun US /ˈlʊkərz/

plural of “looker” — a close observer; someone who looks at something (such as an exhibition of some kind)

From this reading “Say, they was lookers!”

nearer adverb US /ˈnɪrər/

(comparative of “near” or “close”) within a shorter distance

From this reading “It was this way; I was lyin' down, tryin' to figure the shortes' way to Fort Coquina, an' wishin' I was nearer Broadway than I was to the Equator, when I heard a voice say, 'Blub-blub, muck-a-muck!' an' then I seen two cave-ladies come sof'ly stealin' along."”

voice noun US /vɔɪs/

the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech

From this reading “It was this way; I was lyin' down, tryin' to figure the shortes' way to Fort Coquina, an' wishin' I was nearer Broadway than I was to the Equator, when I heard a voice say, 'Blub-blub, muck-a-muck!' an' then I seen two cave-ladies come sof'ly stealin' along."”

All words in this reading · 46

Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.

Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading It was this way; I was lyin' down, tryin' to figure the shortes' way to Fort Coquina, an' wishin' I was nearer Broadway than I was to the Equator, when I heard a voice say, 'Blub-blub, muck-a-muck!' an' then I seen two cave-ladies come sof'ly stealin' along."

a-sittin

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "Right there where you are a-sittin'.

alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/

following the length of something from one end toward the other

From this reading It was this way; I was lyin' down, tryin' to figure the shortes' way to Fort Coquina, an' wishin' I was nearer Broadway than I was to the Equator, when I heard a voice say, 'Blub-blub, muck-a-muck!' an' then I seen two cave-ladies come sof'ly stealin' along."

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading It was this way; I was lyin' down, tryin' to figure the shortes' way to Fort Coquina, an' wishin' I was nearer Broadway than I was to the Equator, when I heard a voice say, 'Blub-blub, muck-a-muck!' an' then I seen two cave-ladies come sof'ly stealin' along."

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading "Right there where you are a-sittin'.

Blub-blub

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was this way; I was lyin' down, tryin' to figure the shortes' way to Fort Coquina, an' wishin' I was nearer Broadway than I was to the Equator, when I heard a voice say, 'Blub-blub, muck-a-muck!' an' then I seen two cave-ladies come sof'ly stealin' along."

BroadwaynounUS /ˈbrɔːdweɪ/

a street in Manhattan that passes through Times Square; famous for its theaters

From this reading It was this way; I was lyin' down, tryin' to figure the shortes' way to Fort Coquina, an' wishin' I was nearer Broadway than I was to the Equator, when I heard a voice say, 'Blub-blub, muck-a-muck!' an' then I seen two cave-ladies come sof'ly stealin' along."

cave-ladies

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was this way; I was lyin' down, tryin' to figure the shortes' way to Fort Coquina, an' wishin' I was nearer Broadway than I was to the Equator, when I heard a voice say, 'Blub-blub, muck-a-muck!' an' then I seen two cave-ladies come sof'ly stealin' along."

comeverbUS /kʌm/

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading It was this way; I was lyin' down, tryin' to figure the shortes' way to Fort Coquina, an' wishin' I was nearer Broadway than I was to the Equator, when I heard a voice say, 'Blub-blub, muck-a-muck!' an' then I seen two cave-ladies come sof'ly stealin' along."

Coquina

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was this way; I was lyin' down, tryin' to figure the shortes' way to Fort Coquina, an' wishin' I was nearer Broadway than I was to the Equator, when I heard a voice say, 'Blub-blub, muck-a-muck!' an' then I seen two cave-ladies come sof'ly stealin' along."

downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading It was this way; I was lyin' down, tryin' to figure the shortes' way to Fort Coquina, an' wishin' I was nearer Broadway than I was to the Equator, when I heard a voice say, 'Blub-blub, muck-a-muck!' an' then I seen two cave-ladies come sof'ly stealin' along."

EquatornounUS /ɪˈkweɪtər/

an imaginary line around the Earth forming the great circle that is equidistant from the north and south poles

From this reading It was this way; I was lyin' down, tryin' to figure the shortes' way to Fort Coquina, an' wishin' I was nearer Broadway than I was to the Equator, when I heard a voice say, 'Blub-blub, muck-a-muck!' an' then I seen two cave-ladies come sof'ly stealin' along."

figurenounUS /ˈfɪɡjər/

a diagram or picture illustrating textual material

From this reading It was this way; I was lyin' down, tryin' to figure the shortes' way to Fort Coquina, an' wishin' I was nearer Broadway than I was to the Equator, when I heard a voice say, 'Blub-blub, muck-a-muck!' an' then I seen two cave-ladies come sof'ly stealin' along."

FortnounUS /fɔːrt/

a fortified military post where troops are stationed

From this reading It was this way; I was lyin' down, tryin' to figure the shortes' way to Fort Coquina, an' wishin' I was nearer Broadway than I was to the Equator, when I heard a voice say, 'Blub-blub, muck-a-muck!' an' then I seen two cave-ladies come sof'ly stealin' along."

heardadjectiveUS /hɜːrd/

detected or perceived by the sense of hearing

From this reading It was this way; I was lyin' down, tryin' to figure the shortes' way to Fort Coquina, an' wishin' I was nearer Broadway than I was to the Equator, when I heard a voice say, 'Blub-blub, muck-a-muck!' an' then I seen two cave-ladies come sof'ly stealin' along."

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading It was this way; I was lyin' down, tryin' to figure the shortes' way to Fort Coquina, an' wishin' I was nearer Broadway than I was to the Equator, when I heard a voice say, 'Blub-blub, muck-a-muck!' an' then I seen two cave-ladies come sof'ly stealin' along."

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was this way; I was lyin' down, tryin' to figure the shortes' way to Fort Coquina, an' wishin' I was nearer Broadway than I was to the Equator, when I heard a voice say, 'Blub-blub, muck-a-muck!' an' then I seen two cave-ladies come sof'ly stealin' along."

lookersnounUS /ˈlʊkərz/

plural of “looker” — a close observer; someone who looks at something (such as an exhibition of some kind)

From this reading Say, they was lookers!

lyin

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was this way; I was lyin' down, tryin' to figure the shortes' way to Fort Coquina, an' wishin' I was nearer Broadway than I was to the Equator, when I heard a voice say, 'Blub-blub, muck-a-muck!' an' then I seen two cave-ladies come sof'ly stealin' along."

muck-a-muck

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was this way; I was lyin' down, tryin' to figure the shortes' way to Fort Coquina, an' wishin' I was nearer Broadway than I was to the Equator, when I heard a voice say, 'Blub-blub, muck-a-muck!' an' then I seen two cave-ladies come sof'ly stealin' along."

neareradverbUS /ˈnɪrər/

(comparative of “near” or “close”) within a shorter distance

From this reading It was this way; I was lyin' down, tryin' to figure the shortes' way to Fort Coquina, an' wishin' I was nearer Broadway than I was to the Equator, when I heard a voice say, 'Blub-blub, muck-a-muck!' an' then I seen two cave-ladies come sof'ly stealin' along."

rightadverbUS /raɪt/

precisely, exactly

From this reading "Yes, sir, right there.

sayverbUS /seɪ/

express in words

From this reading It was this way; I was lyin' down, tryin' to figure the shortes' way to Fort Coquina, an' wishin' I was nearer Broadway than I was to the Equator, when I heard a voice say, 'Blub-blub, muck-a-muck!' an' then I seen two cave-ladies come sof'ly stealin' along."

seenverbUS /siːn/

inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading It was this way; I was lyin' down, tryin' to figure the shortes' way to Fort Coquina, an' wishin' I was nearer Broadway than I was to the Equator, when I heard a voice say, 'Blub-blub, muck-a-muck!' an' then I seen two cave-ladies come sof'ly stealin' along."

shortes

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was this way; I was lyin' down, tryin' to figure the shortes' way to Fort Coquina, an' wishin' I was nearer Broadway than I was to the Equator, when I heard a voice say, 'Blub-blub, muck-a-muck!' an' then I seen two cave-ladies come sof'ly stealin' along."

sirnounUS /sɜːr/

term of address for a man

From this reading "Yes, sir, right there.

sof'ly

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was this way; I was lyin' down, tryin' to figure the shortes' way to Fort Coquina, an' wishin' I was nearer Broadway than I was to the Equator, when I heard a voice say, 'Blub-blub, muck-a-muck!' an' then I seen two cave-ladies come sof'ly stealin' along."

stealin

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was this way; I was lyin' down, tryin' to figure the shortes' way to Fort Coquina, an' wishin' I was nearer Broadway than I was to the Equator, when I heard a voice say, 'Blub-blub, muck-a-muck!' an' then I seen two cave-ladies come sof'ly stealin' along."

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading It was this way; I was lyin' down, tryin' to figure the shortes' way to Fort Coquina, an' wishin' I was nearer Broadway than I was to the Equator, when I heard a voice say, 'Blub-blub, muck-a-muck!' an' then I seen two cave-ladies come sof'ly stealin' along."

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading It was this way; I was lyin' down, tryin' to figure the shortes' way to Fort Coquina, an' wishin' I was nearer Broadway than I was to the Equator, when I heard a voice say, 'Blub-blub, muck-a-muck!' an' then I seen two cave-ladies come sof'ly stealin' along."

thenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading It was this way; I was lyin' down, tryin' to figure the shortes' way to Fort Coquina, an' wishin' I was nearer Broadway than I was to the Equator, when I heard a voice say, 'Blub-blub, muck-a-muck!' an' then I seen two cave-ladies come sof'ly stealin' along."

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading "Yes, sir, right there.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Say, they was lookers!

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading It was this way; I was lyin' down, tryin' to figure the shortes' way to Fort Coquina, an' wishin' I was nearer Broadway than I was to the Equator, when I heard a voice say, 'Blub-blub, muck-a-muck!' an' then I seen two cave-ladies come sof'ly stealin' along."

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading It was this way; I was lyin' down, tryin' to figure the shortes' way to Fort Coquina, an' wishin' I was nearer Broadway than I was to the Equator, when I heard a voice say, 'Blub-blub, muck-a-muck!' an' then I seen two cave-ladies come sof'ly stealin' along."

tryin

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was this way; I was lyin' down, tryin' to figure the shortes' way to Fort Coquina, an' wishin' I was nearer Broadway than I was to the Equator, when I heard a voice say, 'Blub-blub, muck-a-muck!' an' then I seen two cave-ladies come sof'ly stealin' along."

twonounUS /tuː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading It was this way; I was lyin' down, tryin' to figure the shortes' way to Fort Coquina, an' wishin' I was nearer Broadway than I was to the Equator, when I heard a voice say, 'Blub-blub, muck-a-muck!' an' then I seen two cave-ladies come sof'ly stealin' along."

voicenounUS /vɔɪs/

the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech

From this reading It was this way; I was lyin' down, tryin' to figure the shortes' way to Fort Coquina, an' wishin' I was nearer Broadway than I was to the Equator, when I heard a voice say, 'Blub-blub, muck-a-muck!' an' then I seen two cave-ladies come sof'ly stealin' along."

W-where

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading "W-where?"

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading It was this way; I was lyin' down, tryin' to figure the shortes' way to Fort Coquina, an' wishin' I was nearer Broadway than I was to the Equator, when I heard a voice say, 'Blub-blub, muck-a-muck!' an' then I seen two cave-ladies come sof'ly stealin' along."

waynounUS /weɪ/

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading It was this way; I was lyin' down, tryin' to figure the shortes' way to Fort Coquina, an' wishin' I was nearer Broadway than I was to the Equator, when I heard a voice say, 'Blub-blub, muck-a-muck!' an' then I seen two cave-ladies come sof'ly stealin' along."

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading It was this way; I was lyin' down, tryin' to figure the shortes' way to Fort Coquina, an' wishin' I was nearer Broadway than I was to the Equator, when I heard a voice say, 'Blub-blub, muck-a-muck!' an' then I seen two cave-ladies come sof'ly stealin' along."

whereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

From this reading "Right there where you are a-sittin'.

wishin

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was this way; I was lyin' down, tryin' to figure the shortes' way to Fort Coquina, an' wishin' I was nearer Broadway than I was to the Equator, when I heard a voice say, 'Blub-blub, muck-a-muck!' an' then I seen two cave-ladies come sof'ly stealin' along."

YesnounUS /jes/

an affirmative

From this reading "Yes, sir, right there.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "Right there where you are a-sittin'.

Chapter 3 of Police!!! by Robert W. (Robert William) Chambers holds 450 sentences, grouped into 90 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.

What does chapter 3 of Police!!! contain?

Chapter 3 holds 450 sentences of Police!!!, unabridged, divided into 90 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 3 of Police!!! by Robert W. (Robert William) Chambers exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 450 sentences, grouped into 90 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.

How do I study chapter 3 of Police!!!?

Work through the 90 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 90 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.

Can chapter 3 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 3 can be played aloud in United States English.

Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.

Questions about reading Police!!!

Common questions about reading Police!!! by Robert W. (Robert William) Chambers on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Police!!!?

Yes. All 3151 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #18515 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Police!!! is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #18515, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Police!!! take to read?

About 262 minutes of reading across 631 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Police!!! section by section

How to work through Police!!! section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 7 chapters of Police!!! to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Police!!!

Words and structures a reader meets early in Police!!!, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Police
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Police!!!; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Pretty
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Police!!!; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Things
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Police!!!; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Delightful
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Police!!!; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.